Aggregated News
The parents of an 'affectionate' 21-year-old woman with Down's syndrome have been forbidden from having her sterilised despite their concerns she could fall pregnant.
In a landmark ruling at the Court of Protection in London, Mr Justice Cobb concluded that such a procedure would be 'disproportionate'.
He said the case engaged important human rights considerations and that the woman, referred to as K, lacked the capacity to understand and weigh up the options for herself.
The parents feared their daughter, who does not have a boyfriend and had expressed no interest in having one, could easily be taken advantage of.
But Mr Justice Cobb said there were less restrictive methods of 'achieving the purpose of contraception' which should be tried first.
He added it was in the woman's best interests that he should 'bring as much clarity to medical treatment issues' as he could.
He wrote in a statement: 'The issue which divides the parties is whether I should declare in these proceedings at this stage that it is not in the woman's best interests to be the subject of...
In a landmark ruling at the Court of Protection in London, Mr Justice Cobb concluded that such a procedure would be 'disproportionate'.
He said the case engaged important human rights considerations and that the woman, referred to as K, lacked the capacity to understand and weigh up the options for herself.
The parents feared their daughter, who does not have a boyfriend and had expressed no interest in having one, could easily be taken advantage of.
But Mr Justice Cobb said there were less restrictive methods of 'achieving the purpose of contraception' which should be tried first.
He added it was in the woman's best interests that he should 'bring as much clarity to medical treatment issues' as he could.
He wrote in a statement: 'The issue which divides the parties is whether I should declare in these proceedings at this stage that it is not in the woman's best interests to be the subject of...